Please search previous threads. This has been covered a dozen times. Also, if you are willing to drop 2K on something, you should play it in person to make sure you want to buy it. Don't have your first (or second) pin purchase shipped, buy it in person! You should really be deciding what pin is a good deal for 2K, not the Pinside masses...

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/2000-2500-dmd-era-game-any-advice

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/best-dmd-machine-in-1500-2000-range-2015

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/challenging-game-with-some-depth-in-the-2000-2500-range

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/wtb-dmd-game-around-2000-ish-near-mn

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/search?s=1&what=topics&q=2000+-flight+-black&topic-machine=&pinsider=&age_days=&subforum=0&sort_by=date&sort_order=DESC#results

Judge Dredd for $1400

Or LIONMAN!

fishtales

All system 11s~!

Cheap pins are cheap for a reason, hence why a given table can be seen on sale at all sorts of price ranges. That's why I try and include as many high res quality pics as I can when I sell my pins, to ensure no surprises to the buyer. I've been in the same boat as you, and have learned that "in great shape" means totally different things to different people.

Millionaire is under $1k. A great deal for nobody's favorite System 11 game.

LAST ACTION HERO..

Baywatch

Baywatch and Nascar. I own both and think they are great bang for the buck games.

Best to post your location also... One guys 2000 game in his area . Is another 2500 game somewhere else...Always remember to add a couple hundred 2-400 for shipping.. Good luck.

Terminator 2. Judge Dredd.. No Fear. Average Funhouse..

As always, an extra 500 bucks really changes the equation. There are quite a few great games just over your 2k limit.

WCS could be had for around $2200

Fewer and fewer wpc titles that can be had right at 2k from a collector unless it is rough. Shopped and working you are looking at T2 for wpc. Fun game but shallow.

There are some good segas in the 2k range though.
Frankenstein 1800-2200
Viper Night Driving 1800
Starship troopers 1800
Baywatch 1700

Gottlieb Stargate 2000 is still doable
SF2 1000-1200

Fish tales, judge dredd, jm, no fear, black rose, many threads on this.

Agreed, $500 more will get you into a much better level of games

If you are a B/W snob then yes. If you are open to all makes then just depends on the title. The titles in the 2500 range are C-Titles. Ie the lower end of the williams spectrum. I'd rather have stargate then HS2, Demo Man, or JD.

Nba fastbreak
Whirlwind
Bride of pinbot

Is Baywatch really a good game I ve never played it but there's one in my area for 1500. I thought Hasselhoff looked cheesy on the back glass so I stayed away.

Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!! That's funny! Wonder why there is no such thing as a gottlieb or stern snob?? When I first started collecting it was any game I saw, I'd buy. As time went on I was more selective. Most of my games were Williams because they were more fun and easier to get parts for. Now I have a couple sterns, a couple Williams and even a JJP. I can say Bally Williams has built a lot more great titles than anyone else. System 11 games used to be cheap and bullet proof, now just bullet proof.

I like pinball, most all pinball but really you can't argue Bally Williams are better as a general rule of thumb.

Thanks for the laugh!

I didn't say Williams did not make good games. What I did say is that there are those that believe B/W was the end all be all of pinball. That B/W never released a game from the factory without major defects. That they never abandoned the code on a game. That B/W titles are the pinnacle of reliability.

It gets real old listening to the fanboism. It has changed a bit over the last few years as Stern has pumped out more top notch titles (still some turds though).

That said, Gottlieb's best vs Williams 3rd string? I'd take Stargate.

T2 has great flow, but it is shallow. Demo man also has some great flow, but just never can get into it. I'd rather have Frankenstein. Starship troopers is an excellent game and would take it over No Fear.

If we were at the 3k range where things like BSD and TS come into play I'd sing a different tune. Then again at 3k I'd pick RBION first due to the sheer depth.

PS, start looking at people's collections. There has been a shift to some going all sterns (with the occasional WOZ) because the games have more depth. That isn't a knock against B/W just a limitation of the software back in the 90s.

Not many left, but NBA Fast Break is doable for under $2000 and it is a great game!

Most even come with fresh crop circles on the playfield!

Shadow used to be in your price range but now is usually above that by a decent amount Flintstones is really fun, like Fish Tales, and so are several Data East and Sega titles in your price range.

https://pinside.com/pinball/top-100/bangforbuck
That is a short list.

There is some good stern games you can get in that price range like monopoly, nascar, world poker tour and and sharkeys

*If* you can get over the Hoff staring at you, it is a fun game. Lots of nice shots, fun modes and mini wizard modes, and a fun wizard mode. Four flippers and four ramps, lots of wire habitrails, 3 drops, trap door, 5 ball multi ball, extra large DMD (which is a minus if you need a new one), etc -- it is a feature rich game. Also, it probably has the best bikini dots of anything. In my collection, it is a regularly played game because it is a relaxing, casual, fun pin to play.

Could get 2 Laser Wars with that! Double the fun!

Last Action Hero and Baywatch are fun machines! And both can be had for under that 2k mark, leaving you with a few bucks to add leds or other things.. Unfortunately both have those damn doods huge heads on the BG.. JD was a fun pin also..

I'm really enjoying the Stargate I got for a little under 2k. Just make sure you enjoy it if you ever consider buying one. It's very deep, but also fairly easy (even on hard settings) and doesn't have much flow. If you're looking for something really challenging or with really good flow, Stargate wouldn't be my first choice, but otherwise I don't think you can really go wrong! Really well built too, and easy to work on. (I'm a total noob, and I've managed to diagnose and fix issues all on my own, so it has to be easy!)